Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote:
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

If all you need is to hold a straight line, you don't even need to
hook up the NMEA. The autopilot will follow the magnetic course
you start it on with its internal fluxgate compass.

... If the autopilot is set merely to follow a magnetic compass
course, then the resultant track will be at the mercy of currents, wind,
leeway, etc.

You are right, of course, and that is why I intend to hook up the
NMEA next spring. But my old autopilot, which had no such facility,
could hold a fairly straight course in motoring conditions for a
few hours. Until it gave up completely.

I have written about autopilots here before, but just to bring you up to
day, I now carry 3 tiller pilots. I had an instance 2 or 3 years ago where
both of the 2 then on board went out. A short while after that I
cracked a part of the windvane self-steerer.

So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

Oops, sorry. Somehow I got the impression that we were talking about
some sort of large jet ski.

It seems to me though that this must be a solved problem. We sailors
can't be the only ones too lazy to stay at the helm all the time. Have
you tried contacting any dealers or marine stores that cater to the
power boater?

Take care - Dan

L. M. Rappaport wrote:

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 17:58:39 GMT, Dan Best wrote
(with possible editing):



Larry, you described this as a jet ski. Does it have a wheel or handle
bars? I was envisioning more of a handle bar like arrangement and
rigging some way to connect the ram to one of the handle bars. Some of
the wheel pilots (like the one I have) afix a small rim to the inside of
a wheel that a belt goes around to actually turn the wheel.

Good luck - Dan



...snip

Dan,

Well, actually I said: "It is a jet boat powered by
a 200 hp Merc". At 18.5' it would be quite a personal watercraft!
Yes, it has a wheel. It seats 8 (6 comfortably) and looks like a
runabout for all intents and purposes. The only significant
difference is that it is powered by a jet with no lower unit or
anything below the keel to smash into rocks.

The wheel seems to be an enclosed unit with a cable or tube
coming out of it.

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com








--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean" http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG

Oops, sorry. Somehow I got the impression that we were talking about
some sort of large jet ski.

It seems to me though that this must be a solved problem. We sailors
can't be the only ones too lazy to stay at the helm all the time. Have
you tried contacting any dealers or marine stores that cater to the
power boater?

Take care - Dan

L. M. Rappaport wrote:

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 17:58:39 GMT, Dan Best wrote
(with possible editing):



Larry, you described this as a jet ski. Does it have a wheel or handle
bars? I was envisioning more of a handle bar like arrangement and
rigging some way to connect the ram to one of the handle bars. Some of
the wheel pilots (like the one I have) afix a small rim to the inside of
a wheel that a belt goes around to actually turn the wheel.

Good luck - Dan



...snip

Dan,

Well, actually I said: "It is a jet boat powered by
a 200 hp Merc". At 18.5' it would be quite a personal watercraft!
Yes, it has a wheel. It seats 8 (6 comfortably) and looks like a
runabout for all intents and purposes. The only significant
difference is that it is powered by a jet with no lower unit or
anything below the keel to smash into rocks.

The wheel seems to be an enclosed unit with a cable or tube
coming out of it.

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com








--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean" http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:42:00 GMT, "Daniel E. Best"
wrote (with possible editing):

Oops, sorry. Somehow I got the impression that we were talking about
some sort of large jet ski.

It seems to me though that this must be a solved problem. We sailors
can't be the only ones too lazy to stay at the helm all the time. Have
you tried contacting any dealers or marine stores that cater to the
power boater?

Take care - Dan

I'm sure somebody's solved this, I just haven't found them yet.
Autopilots tend to be expensive and are installed on larger yachts. I
think, therefore, that they might be out of reach of most of us
do-it-yourselfers. I.e., if you've got the money, you hire it all
out.

That never stopped me, however! I don't think it makes sense to spend
that kind of money on a boat which retails under $25k, yet I'd like to
solve the problem, so I'm willing to do a bit more research.

I live in northern NH and there are very few boat dealers up here.
What there are usually sell small, trailerable boats and there are no
boatyards. I've asked a few dealers, but no luck so far.

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com


L. M. Rappaport wrote:

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 17:58:39 GMT, Dan Best wrote
(with possible editing):



Larry, you described this as a jet ski. Does it have a wheel or handle
bars? I was envisioning more of a handle bar like arrangement and
rigging some way to connect the ram to one of the handle bars. Some of
the wheel pilots (like the one I have) afix a small rim to the inside of
a wheel that a belt goes around to actually turn the wheel.

Good luck - Dan



...snip

Dan,

Well, actually I said: "It is a jet boat powered by
a 200 hp Merc". At 18.5' it would be quite a personal watercraft!
Yes, it has a wheel. It seats 8 (6 comfortably) and looks like a
runabout for all intents and purposes. The only significant
difference is that it is powered by a jet with no lower unit or
anything below the keel to smash into rocks.

The wheel seems to be an enclosed unit with a cable or tube
coming out of it.

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:42:00 GMT, "Daniel E. Best"
wrote (with possible editing):

Oops, sorry. Somehow I got the impression that we were talking about
some sort of large jet ski.

It seems to me though that this must be a solved problem. We sailors
can't be the only ones too lazy to stay at the helm all the time. Have
you tried contacting any dealers or marine stores that cater to the
power boater?

Take care - Dan

I'm sure somebody's solved this, I just haven't found them yet.
Autopilots tend to be expensive and are installed on larger yachts. I
think, therefore, that they might be out of reach of most of us
do-it-yourselfers. I.e., if you've got the money, you hire it all
out.

That never stopped me, however! I don't think it makes sense to spend
that kind of money on a boat which retails under $25k, yet I'd like to
solve the problem, so I'm willing to do a bit more research.

I live in northern NH and there are very few boat dealers up here.
What there are usually sell small, trailerable boats and there are no
boatyards. I've asked a few dealers, but no luck so far.

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com


L. M. Rappaport wrote:

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 17:58:39 GMT, Dan Best wrote
(with possible editing):



Larry, you described this as a jet ski. Does it have a wheel or handle
bars? I was envisioning more of a handle bar like arrangement and
rigging some way to connect the ram to one of the handle bars. Some of
the wheel pilots (like the one I have) afix a small rim to the inside of
a wheel that a belt goes around to actually turn the wheel.

Good luck - Dan



...snip

Dan,

Well, actually I said: "It is a jet boat powered by
a 200 hp Merc". At 18.5' it would be quite a personal watercraft!
Yes, it has a wheel. It seats 8 (6 comfortably) and looks like a
runabout for all intents and purposes. The only significant
difference is that it is powered by a jet with no lower unit or
anything below the keel to smash into rocks.

The wheel seems to be an enclosed unit with a cable or tube
coming out of it.

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:33:29 -0500, "Armond Perretta"
wrote (with possible editing):

....snip

I have written about autopilots here before, but just to bring you up to
day, I now carry 3 tiller pilots. I had an instance 2 or 3 years ago where
both of the 2 then on board went out. A short while after that I
cracked a part of the windvane self-steerer.

So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

How do they attach to the tiller? Do any of them attach to a wheel?
Do you think any of them might be adaptable to my situation?

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:33:29 -0500, "Armond Perretta"
wrote (with possible editing):

....snip

I have written about autopilots here before, but just to bring you up to
day, I now carry 3 tiller pilots. I had an instance 2 or 3 years ago where
both of the 2 then on board went out. A short while after that I
cracked a part of the windvane self-steerer.

So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

How do they attach to the tiller? Do any of them attach to a wheel?
Do you think any of them might be adaptable to my situation?

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

L. M. Rappaport wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote...

...
So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

How do they attach to the tiller?

The tiller pilots have a small plastic (or similar) fitting at the end of
the pushrod that snaps onto a stainless pin mounted, facing up, on the
tiller.

... Do any of them attach to a wheel?

This was one way of doing it years ago. I cannot recall manufacturer names
all that well, but I believe "Tillerpilot" was one. The pushrod attached to
an arm mounted in line with the steering wheel radius.

Do you think any of them might be adaptable to my situation?

I am afraid I don't exactly really your situation.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

L. M. Rappaport wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote...

...
So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

How do they attach to the tiller?

The tiller pilots have a small plastic (or similar) fitting at the end of
the pushrod that snaps onto a stainless pin mounted, facing up, on the
tiller.

... Do any of them attach to a wheel?

This was one way of doing it years ago. I cannot recall manufacturer names
all that well, but I believe "Tillerpilot" was one. The pushrod attached to
an arm mounted in line with the steering wheel radius.

Do you think any of them might be adaptable to my situation?

I am afraid I don't exactly really your situation.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

Just read this thread, and have one comment: my experience w/ auto pilots is
that the flux gate compass must be a good distance away from an outboard
motor. 5ft, 6ft even. I've got some real stories about this.

"L. M. Rappaport" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:33:29 -0500, "Armond Perretta"
wrote (with possible editing):

...snip

I have written about autopilots here before, but just to bring you up to
day, I now carry 3 tiller pilots. I had an instance 2 or 3 years ago
where
both of the 2 then on board went out. A short while after that I
cracked a part of the windvane self-steerer.

So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

How do they attach to the tiller? Do any of them attach to a wheel?
Do you think any of them might be adaptable to my situation?

Thanks,
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com